Kuhlis - Always active?

[Jayhawk]

I've had 3 kuhlis for nearly 2 weeks now, and I'm surprised how active these guys are. I had kuhlis years ago, and seem to recall I rarely saw them.

I wonder if it's their current environment (highly planted, lots of hiding spaces, minimally stocked tank) that's leading to this diurnal activity or something else.

Anyone have any thoughts on this issue?

Eric

[mikev]

Same thing here.

I have kuhlis in three tanks, and they are far more active in a small planted tank with only small fish. They are least active in the large many-loaches tank.

Obvious implication is that kuhlis should deserve their own tank, with plants and inoffensive small dither.

[Jayhawk]

My guys are in a 29 gallon with just 2 otos, one clown pleco, and a single paradise fish. The paradise fish's worst transgression is he'll sometimes follow around the loaches to see if they've found any food, but he also spends a significant amount of time, the eternally hopefully and clueless bachelor, building and guarding his bubble nest...so the loaches most of the time have the bottom the tank all to themselves.

ERic

[mikev]

This is fine.

After watching kuhlis in different setups, I think what depresses kuhlis most are the fish that goes after the same food. In my case, this includes young yoyo's and barbs.

BTW, they will probably be even more active/interesting if you increase the number; kuhlis should not be counted literally 1"/1g.

[Martin Thoene]

At the foot of my bed sits a highly underpopulated 120 gallon tank. One 5" Royal Panaque, one male Pseudomugil gurtrudae, 5 Pygmy Rasboras (Boraras sp.), 3 Pangio piperata, 1 Pangio cuneovirgata (which I seldom see), and two Pangio anguillaris.

the last two crazy guys regularly go nuts all over the tank. In a 4 foot by 2 foot footprint they can really let it rip!
Most mornings, some evenings and almost always after a water-change.

Martin.

[Jayhawk]

They're fun little fish - seeming to almost play - but that's probably just me anthropomorphizing their behavior.

I was planning on getting 5 of the little fellows, but my good LFS only had the 3 left at the time. I'll add a few more when they get more in.

Eric